London Archives - Page 4 of 147

2Nov

By Zain RussellNo Comments

London

Shocktober – Tulley’s Farm

Tulley’s Farm in Crawley is well-known for hosting an array of events throughout the year, but when Halloween approaches, the farm truly comes alive with its spectacular Shocktober Fest. This annual event has grown into one of the UK’s most celebrated Halloween attractions, drawing thrill-seekers from far and wide for a night of spine-chilling entertainment, immersive scare mazes, live performances, and an electric festival atmosphere. The main highlight of Shocktober Fest is undoubtedly its collection of scare mazes, each uniquely themed and meticulously designed to deliver heart-pounding scares and unforgettable experiences. One of the standout attractions this year was Doomtown, a masterfully crafted maze that transported guests into a post-apocalyptic town overrun by the undead. The...

2Nov

By Savitha VenugopalNo Comments

London

Surinderella – Riverside Studios

Your regular pantomimes already come packed with beloved characters, popular music, and hilarity. Now give it a desi twist, and you have more colours, hip shaking, and drama than Bollywood itself can dish out. Written by Pravesh Kumar and directed by Ameet Chana, this is a bold new panto with lashings of South Asian flavour. As the name suggests, Surinderella is a retelling of Cinderella and when it comes to adding that desi-ness, the makers do not hold back. Surinder (Sonya Venugopal) lives on the edge of the Bolly Woods with her stepsisters Lovely and Bubbly, and her emotional support livestock and best friend, Basanti the cow. In the stepsisters we have our pantomime dames, played with sass and style by Neil Varu and Raheem Payne, whose crowd work and shenanigans were consistently...

31Oct

By Zain RussellNo Comments

London

I Screamed a Scream – Phoenix Arts Club

Halloween season is the perfect time to celebrate all things wicked, and I Screamed a Scream embraces that spirit with devilish delight. This cabaret brings together a collection of songs from some of theatre and film’s most iconic villains, alongside a few surprising choices that make you question what really defines a villain in the first place. One of the most unexpected moments of the evening came with the inclusion of Bop to the Top from High School Musical. It’s a fun, upbeat number, but it does make you pause to wonder: are Ryan and Sharpay truly villainous enough to earn their place among such notorious company? Whether or not you think they fit the bill, the song’s addition brought a burst of nostalgia and humour to the night, and that playful unpredictability was part of t...

31Oct

By Holly SewellNo Comments

London

The Line of Beauty – Almeida Theatre

Alan Hollinghurst’s 2004 novel The Line of Beauty takes its title from William Hogarth’s work on the empirical analysis of aesthetics. Its protagonist, Nick Guest, is obsessed with this idea of beauty; he drifts from gorgeous lover to gorgeous lover, coming alive only for sex and conversations about Henry James; he is enticed by the lifestyle of the wealthy, but doesn’t quite belong in their world. The Almeida's adaptation of the novel grapples with Nick’s struggle between his aesthete sensibilities and impossibility of life as a young gay man during Thatcherism and the AIDS crisis. Michael Grandage’s production captures the ‘80s zeitgeist deliciously. There’s ‘80s pop anthems throughout, booming from the radio onstage and smoothing over scene transitions; and, conversely, there’s the e...

Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical – New Wimbledon Theatre

30Oct

By Zain RussellNo Comments

London

Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical – New Wimbledon Theatre

The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical offers a fresh, musical twist on the beloved Percy Jackson books. It tells the nostalgic story of a boy born a half-blood: half human, half god, as he begins to uncover his identity and the challenges that come with it. As Percy searches for the truth about his father, a war between the gods breaks out, and he is faced with the task of proving his innocence in the theft of Zeus’ lightning bolt. The storyline of the musical is fast paced; however, each setback Percy faces seems to be resolved too quickly. There is rarely a sense of real danger, as every problem finds a convenient solution, from his mother’s sudden return to life, to the ease with which Percy and his friends reach the Underworld. These elements make the production feel som...

Moominvalley in November – Upstairs at the Gatehouse

30Oct

By Charles PipeNo Comments

London

Moominvalley in November – Upstairs at the Gatehouse

Moominvalley in November is a new musical adaptation of Tove Jansson’s book of the same name – the final book in the Moomin series. The first thing that stands out is the wonderful production design. The audience arrive to see gorgeous set (designed by Lu Herbert), with beautifully painted trees and fallen leaves, a lovely painted river and – in the centre – the Moominhouse. Warm shades of red, orange, and brown effortless evoke autumn, while the soft blue of the house stands out. Once the show begins, the costumes (also by Lu Herbert) are just as delightful as the set design. Even if you only have a passing familiarity with Moomins, you’ll recognise Snufkin’s iconic getup, which has been lovingly adapted. The designs do not attempt to perfectly imitate the original illustrations,...

RSC’s Wendy & Peter Pan – The Barbican Centre

30Oct

By Caroline WorswickNo Comments

London

RSC’s Wendy & Peter Pan – The Barbican Centre

‘Peter Pan’ or ‘The Boy Who Wouldn’t Grow Up’ was dreamed up by Scottish author, J M Barrie and released in 1904 as a play, and then later written as the novel ‘Peter and Wendy’. The story about the much-loved mischievous boy who did not grow up, was turned into a magical children’s Disney favourite in 1953, which was based upon the play. The new script has been a labour of love for director Jonathan Mundy, and writer Ella Hickson, re-imagining this classic story into a modernised view of equal roles for women, with Wendy taking on a more vocal role dealing with the loss of her brother, and becoming the healer of wounds in Neverland, and at home with her parents. Since the Disney movie was produced, the role of the woman has changed in society, with many more women bei...

30Oct

By Charles PipeNo Comments

London

Kindling – Park Theatre

Per the final wishes of a dead mutual friend, five very different perimenopausal women come together for a camping trip in Wales. The set design by Abi Groves goes a long way to make the play really feel like an authentic camping trip. The entire floor of the stage is covered with plant litter and woodland detritus. As the actors move around, they kick up leaves and twigs, creating realistic sound. The stage quickly becomes cluttered with tents, camping chairs, rucksacks, Ikea bags, and Tupperware, all haphazardly scattered around. The design immediately and evocatively captures the essence of a camping trip with friends. Not everything is as effective as the set design; some issue with the script and direction hold the play back in the earlier scenes. Some characters are presented a...

The Assembled Parties – Hampstead Theatre

29Oct

By Michelle KnightNo Comments

London

The Assembled Parties – Hampstead Theatre

First impressions, this play has no boundaries when it comes to flaunting American political ideology and Jewish patronage. But it is difficult to comprehend where it is positioned within the context of contemporary societal life in Manhattan in the 1980’s. Is this a drama about exposing family truths and values in the guise of Christmas tradition, rented housing, or world affairs. There are more questions than answers in this adaptation of Richard Greenbergs American stage play, The Assembled Parties. Set in an opulent rented apartment, West Side New York a proud extended Jewish family settle in to share and celebrate a Christian festival ‘Christmas Lunch. Their son Scotty is home from college and has invited his pal Jeff Sam Marks to join in the celebrations. Jeff’s relationship with ...

29Oct

By Stewart Who?No Comments

London

Play Dead – The Horse Hospital

As the trend for celebrity performers and popular stories continues to dominate the West End, it becomes increasingly important to support and highlight new writing and underground talent. Last week, Nadine Rennie, co-chair of the Casting Directors Guild warned that this commercially driven, fever for the famous is like, “feeding a child too much sugar.” As the trend towards box office safe bets shows no sign of retreating, it was a bracing thrill to experience Play Dead by Bailey Edwards at The Horse Hospital. This wasn’t a spoonful of crowd-pleasing sugar. It more like a judicious jab of crystal meth, followed by a slap. Play Dead is a unique, queer, grimly comic modern myth about obsession, addiction, co-dependence and the fragile nature of sanity. It features the author, Edwards ...